So we also have to leave time because my doctor's here
and I wanna link together why.
My dermatologist Ann Chapas is also joining us today,
and we're gonna go join her in a moment.
But it's specifically because you recently
had a health scare that I don't think
people take seriously enough.
Can you share with everybody?
Yeah, I did.
It was back in 1998, so it was a little while ago.
But I was just getting out of the shower,
and was drying off, and as I was drying off,
fortunately, this was a spot that I could see,
and it was just a dark, very small.
It was dark, and I just thought, wow,
I don't remember seeing this before.
And quite honestly, didn't think a lot of it.
You think it's a mole, or a freckle
or sun spot. Yeah.
I just knew it was different.
And my sisters are both nurses, and I was on vacation
with them, and I happened to show them.
And they weren't too concerned either, but they said,
"Yeah, you should probably get that checked out."
And so I was at the dermatology office, and I was
getting some things done on my face,
just from being in the sun
and playing golf. Right.
Right. And I actually was walking
out of the office, and then I remembered this spot.
And I walked back in, I said, "Hey, I forgot about
this one little spot on my back.
Could you check it out?"
So he did a biopsy, and a week later, I got a call back,
and he said, "Hey, you need to come in, and it's melanoma."
And I had no idea what melanoma was.
I didn't know what the repercussions from that would be
or how serious it was.
And I got educated in a real hurry, and it scares ya.
Now, I was fortunate that they caught it really early.
And that's the thing. Yes
You have to, as with all cancers, time is
of the essence, you know. Yeah.
Alright, let's cross over to Yeah.
To my doctor, Anne, Dr. Anne Chapas.
Hi Anne.
Hey, so good to see you.
Lovely to see you honey.
So this is my doctor, Dr. Anne Chapas.
Hey. Hi there.
So this is very common, right?
Yeah.
Unfortunately skin cancer affects
one in five Americans, so it's very common.
And it's also really important to hear your story Troy,
because people don't know oh, what's a regular spot,
what's a suspicious spot.
So we really wanna educate people-
Yeah. About the A, B, C, D, Es.
How serious is melanoma as a type of cancer?
Melanoma is the most deadly kind of skin cancer.
So if it's found early, it can be treated,
but unfortunately, if it's not found early
and treated, it can be deadly.
So it's important to check your skin, to
and check your- It can transfer
to the rest of your body, right?
Absolutely. Just like any other cancer.
Skin cancer can metastasize,
and unfortunately it does kill people quite often.
So May is melanoma awareness month.
That's why we're talking about this today.
And that's why we are all working with Novartis
to help raise awareness of this situation.
Should we cross over here, 'cause I know you
have a bunch of things to show.
We are. We're gonna talk a lot about
what you should look for in melanoma,
because as Troy said, he wasn't sure.
He saw this new spot, like is that something normal?
Is that not normal?
You said yours was kinda darker, and that's=
Darker, but very small, about the size
of the end of a pencil,
Right. A pencil lead.
And that's a sign.
So when we look at skin lesions, we wanna look
for the A, B, C, D, Es.
And if we see anything that's asymmetric for A,
B is border, that has an irregular border.
C is color, a dark color, different colors,
different than the other moles you've had.
D is diameter.
Moles that are larger can be a sign.
And E, that's changing, new, evolving.
Those are all things, don't wait.
Yeah. Go to see your doctor,
and get it checked out.
Now I have a very close friend, who has had many,
multiple skin cancers. Yes.
She gets checked like every about ever three months.
Correct. And she's had them
all removed, and she's, you know, she's always
fine. Right.
It hasn't metastasized. Correct.
But she has to really stay on it.
Is that common?
Yes. So once you've had
one skin cancer, as Troy knows, you're
at a high risk for developing another one.
Maybe not necessarily the lesion
coming back, but one on another
part of your body. Right.
So that's why you have to get checked regularly
if you've already had a skin cancer.
It's important to have a doctor check you,
because you can't see all of you.
All the parts. Yeah
Right? Yeah.
Right, Right. And there is different
places where skin cancer can come.
This I find fascinating. Yeah.
Did you know that men and women
get skin cancer in different places?
I didn't know that 'til we met backstage,
and she was explaining it to me.
And yeah, men mostly get it on their scalp or
on their shoulder. On their shoulder.
And I of course had mine on my shoulder.
And women get it on arms and legs.
Arms and legs.
And it's just And that makes sense
to some degree. One of those things.
That's where you get the
most sun exposure. Yeah.
Maybe you're not
putting on enough sun protection.
But it's something you all, everyone needs to be aware of.
Huh. Yeah.
Can anyone get skin cancer?
Anyone can get skin cancer, not just fair skinned people,
but dark skinned people can also get skin cancer.
That's another myth is that anybody
that tans easily can't get skin cancer.
That's completely wrong, right?
Yeah, that's absolutely true.
But what's really exciting is that there have been
so many advancements in the testing and treatment,
including mutation and biomarker testing,
which can help patients and their healthcare provider
find the best treatments.
Wow. Yeah.
(applause and cheering)